Rydal-Meadowbrook Civic Association

Anneliese Simon

When asked to describe herself in one word, Anneliese stated – “kind.” This is indeed one of the words that so aptly describes Annaliese Simon, who grew up in the Abington School District and is now a senior at the high school. She was a Builder’s Club Member at Abington Junior High School from 2008-2009 and Key Club Member at Abington Senior High School from 2008-2012.

When Anneliese was in the 9th grade, her guidance counselor chose her to become a part of the ACT Teen Counsel, and for the next four years, she saw this as a means to voice her opinion for her school and community. This position also launched her desire for community service, which she says helped shape her love for helping her community.

Anneliese’s teacher describes her as responsible and very mature. She is a mentor in the Special Education (Life Skills) Art class, and is intuitive when it comes to the diverse needs of the class. Anneliese has a family member on the autism spectrum, which enables her to have “first” hand experience of how one needs to have patience and persistence and understanding as an assistant. Because of her compassion, Anneliese has been a volunteer in the Autism Walk.

When it comes to community service, Anneliese is described as confident and hardworking - making a difference in the Abington community. For the last three years, she has been an active member in BuildOn, a social justice club that raises awareness and money to help build schools in underdeveloped countries such as Mali, Nepal and Nicaragua. The sponsor of this club indicates that Anneliese attends meetings regularly and has been an active in its mission.

Additionally, Anneliese has participated in the Multicultural Fair held at the senior high school and also at Roslyn, and McKinley Elementary schools for the last two years. She also volunteers for fundraisers such as bake sales, candy and pretzel sales. She participates in community service projects which bake for Stenton Family Manor, collect clothes for Cradles to Crayons and pack food for Philabundance as well as make cards to go into the boxes. A school advisor says she has been impressed with Anneliese’s self-assurance, commitment and enthusiasm, adding that she is such a tireless worker, that she will inspire ACT with her community service. She also participates in Aid for Friends, a local food bank for shut-ins and volunteers many hours at Abington Hospital, performing whatever task is needed for the community needs such as stuffing envelopes and painting murals in emergency waiting rooms. Finally, Anneliese traveled with her church to New Orleans to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. While there, the group helped to increase the literacy rate for children by painting murals, which will aid them in learning new words. I’m sure you can now agree with the adjective which describes her as being “kind.”

She plans to continue this work ethic when she attends Marywood University, to pursue a career in Communication Sciences and Disorders (Speech Pathology).